~3 minute readproduct reviews
Spellbreaker
Infocom, Inc.
125 Cambridge Park Drive
Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 492-6000
48K disk (also available for ST)
$49.95
Calling all Infocom freaks ... Did you zip through Zork? Were you able to hurry through the Hitchhikers' Guide? Was Planetfall a mere problem-solving pitstop? Have I got a challenge for you! Spellbreaker, the third game in the Enchanter/Sorcerer Trilogy, has been released. And I found it to be the toughest, most frustrating Infocom game yet. Three weeks of (practically) sleepless nights and I'm still little more than one-third of the way through. The problem is, not only is the game damn hard, it is also as well-written and as much fun as any previous Infocom text adventure.
Starting where Sorcerer left off, you are once again a full-fledged member of the Circle of Enchanters. But there is a crisis in the land! Everything is going to pieces (literally and figuratively) and now magic itself is starting to fail. During an emergency meeting of the Circle, you notice your comrades starting to turn a little green about the gills. In fact, a couple even croak (sorry). Anyway, only you are left to follow a mysterious stranger who promptly vanishes, leaving a strange white cube behind. Learning what to do with the cube is essential, as it is the key to the heart of Spellbreaker. In fact, along the way you will find a number of like cubes, each of which takes you to a "mini-adventure" that must be solved -- much the same as the Infinite Improbability Drive in Hitchhiker.
In fact, untangling the gordian knot of cubes-within-cubes-within-cubes is what makes Spellbreaker such a challenge. All the cubes contain very difficult problems, most of which require objects found in other cubes! The game was written by Dave Lebling, co-creator of the original Zork, and in many ways is reminiscent of the original Infocom style. The problems are of the old-fashioned locked-door variety, which are solved by object manipulation or (as in the other games in this series) the use of magic. Character interaction is minimal. I've lately come to think of Spellbreaker as Zork IV. The only think I miss is Infocom's sometimes wry sense of humor.
The one aspect of the game I disliked had to do with the sub-plot of failing magic. Often, when casting a spell, it doesn't work. That doesn't mean that it was the wrong spell. Instead, you have to try again. And again. Since failure seemed to be a random event, there were times that I had to learn and cast the same spell as many as seven times in a row. That can get a little tedious. Owners of early versions should be aware of a bug in the program. At one point you will be in a room, the only exit being a hole plugged with a piece of alabaster. Don't rezrov the hole (even though you can). You still won't be able to use the exit. You must rezrov the plug in order to leave. Supposedly, later versions have corrected this.
Spellbreaker is rated Expert, and that is one of the greatest understatements of the year. It is an excellent game, with plot and developments that rank with Infocom's best. It will no doubt be much too difficult for most adventurers, and it may be worth your while to send for the hintbook as soon as you buy this game.
This article appeared in
Antic
Jun 1986
These historical, out-of-print articles and literary works have been GNUSTOed onto InvisiClues.org for academic and research purposes.
